Trustees vote to 'encourage' masks for students, staff and visitors to Waterloo region public schools

Students, staff and visitors to public schools in Waterloo region will be "encouraged" to wear masks.

It comes after trustees with the Waterloo Region District School Board voted in favour of a motion to ask people to wear masks during Monday night's committee of the whole meeting, but it's not a mandate.

The motion does not take effect until it's ratified, which is expected to happen at the board's Dec. 19 meeting.

Kitchener trustee Meena Waseem said she didn't feel the motion overstepped any advice from public health.

In November, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore strongly recommended people wear masks indoors, including in schools and child care centres, but did not implement a mask mandate.

Earlier this month, trustees with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board voted in favour of a temporary, indoor masking requirement in all schools, with no restrictions for anyone who wants to opt out.

Waseem said Monday night during the WRDSB meeting that there are people in schools who need to wear masks because they are immunocompromised or for other reasons.

"A motion like this one is the recognition of the fact that they need support from community members who choose to wear a mask," she said.

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"This is not infringing on anyone's right to choose whether they wear a mask or not. I think it's just really important that we give people information so that they are aware of why they're making their decisions. If someone decides not to wear a mask, there is nothing that we can do about it."

A second part of the motion said the school board would communicate information about masking to the school communities, which Cambridge trustee Carla Johnson supported.

"I don't think sharing information is putting undue pressure on anyone," Johnson said.

Motion didn't receive full support

Kitchener trustee Mike Ramsay voted against the motion and said he did so because he found it "disturbing" that trustees were trying to implement a mandate, even if they said they weren't.

"It's a mandate by another name," he said.

Cambridge-North Dumfries trustee Cindy Watson also objected to the motion because she said schools already encourage mask use and "this motion gives the perception we're actually doing something, but we really aren't."

Cambridge-North Dumfries trustee Bill Cody also voted against the motion.

Waterloo-Wilmot trustee Marie Snyder, who brought the motion forward, said she did so because she heard from parents who told her their kids want to mask, "but feel like they can't."

"We have to do something to make it more comfortable in the room. I know we're encouraging, but that encouragement is not filtering down to the classroom," Snyder said.

"There is no punishment, there's no reward. It's just if you can, if you're willing, then please wear a mask."